Snowbowling

Today, I finally made it up to Snowbowl to try out my new tele gear: Got some K2 World Pistes, Black Diamond O1 bindings, and Scarpa T2X boots... It was pretty much my 1st time dropping the knee on the slopes and I was thrilled to be getting out. Just a couple of weeks ago I felt trapped in the middle of nowhere with nothing but metropolis and suburbs sprawling endlessly in all directions, but now I am exactly 11 miles from my front door to the ski lifts! From the top of Snowbowl there are great views of Missoula to the South and wilderness to the N. Talk about a massive increase in quality of life!

So my attempts at the tele turn were kinda whimpy. I ended up on some serious slopes and found myself making alpine turns while feebly lifting one heel or another to at least look like I was trying. The snow coverage is ultra thin right now, and everyone on the mountain was praying for more snow and lamenting the scratches on the bottom of their boards or skis. Still there were some nice runs to be had, and at only 20 minutes from home, I will be spending a lot more time up there.